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National forest fees to increase at some NC sites

Karen Chávez
9:41 p.m. EDT April 7, 2014

It will get more expensive to have fun in the forest this spring. The U.S. Forest Service is increasing fees at seven recreation sites in its four national forests in the state for the upcoming tourism season, including a 100 percent fee increase at the popular Sliding Rock near Brevard in Pisgah National Forest.

The daily use fee at Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest will increase from $1 to $2.(Photo: Citizen-Times photo)

ASHEVILLE – It will get more expensive to have fun in the forest this spring, causing at least some people to rethink their recreation plans.

The U.S. Forest Service is increasing fees at seven recreation sites in its four national forests in the state — the Nantahala, Pisgah, Uwharrie and Croatan — for the upcoming tourism season. This includes a 100 percent fee increase at the popular Sliding Rock near Brevard in Pisgah National Forest.

Raymond Cagle, owner of Dojoku Martial Arts in Asheville, which runs a summer day camp, said he used to take campers to Sliding Rock every summer.

“We used to go every year. The kids loved it,” Cagle said. “We used to take them to the whole area around the (Davidson) river, but we’re not taking them out there this summer. We won’t go to Lake Powhatan anymore.”

Cagle said the increasing rates — Lake Powhatan’s group rates went up last year — are forcing him to search out other sites for his camp.

While there are no entrance fees to the national forests, including most hiking and mountain biking trails, some of the more popular recreation areas, such as campgrounds, do charge daily fees. The Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, which cover more than 1 million acres in the Western North Carolina mountains, are some of the most highly visited national forests in the country, with more than 6 million annual visitors.

Forest Service spokesman Stevin Westcott said the fee changes were approved in March after taking into account public comments, including the recommendations of the Southern Region’s Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, to ensure they are comparable to similar public and private sites. The fee changes will start May 7, including the following:

• Panther Top Shooting Range: The daily permit will increase from $2 to $3 per person. Annual fee would remain the same at $25 per person.

• Dirty John Shooting Range: The cost of the daily permit increases from $3 per vehicle to $3 per person. The annual permit cost will increase from $7 per vehicle to $25 per person. Annual permits already sold in 2014 for Dirty John Shooting Range will be honored until their expiration. These permits will only be honored at that site.

• Moss Knob Shooting Range: This is a new fee at the range. The cost of the daily permit will be $3 per person, with the annual permit costing $25 per person.

Westcott said the fees at Sliding Rock have not been increased since 2001, but in that time visitation has increased “enormously,” with at least 1,000 visitors a day in the warm summer months.

He said that the additional revenue is required to continue operating the extremely popular site, where chilly river flows swiftly over a 50-foot smooth rockface, providing a natural water slide. The fees will provide expanded hours for lifeguards and help pay for the maintenance.

“These are the only fees that are going to be affected,” Westcott said. “Across the four national forests, there are 43 fee sites, and these seven (including three campgrounds in the Uwharrie and Croatan national forests) are it. The other 36 are unaffected. Part of it is the popularaity of the sites. With increased popularity comes increased maintenance.”

He said that the fee increases at Western North Carolina’s shooting ranges will standardize rates across the three ranges, which have all been different. The largest fee increase is the annual permit at Dirty John Shooting Range, from $7 a year to $25. The last fee increase was in 2004, and the last fee increase at Panther Top was in 2007. The fees are needed to address the health, safety and resource damage needs, he said.

Purchasing the $25 annual permit will allow shooters to use all three ranges in Nantahala National Forest. Fee rules did not change for shooters younger than 16, who are not required to have a permit, but must be accompanied by an adult and must provide identification if asked.

“These fee increases level the field,” Westcott said. “If people get an annual pass, for $25, they can use it at all three shooting ranges. They’re pretty popular.”

None of the campground fees at Pisgah and Nantahala national forest sites will increase. Fees at the Cradle of Forestry (which increased last year), Whiteside Mountain ($2 per vehicle) and Whitewater Falls ($2 per car with seven passengers or less; $1 per person for more than seven people in one vehicle) will remain the same.

“At Sliding Rock, the fee hasn’t gone up in 13 years, but the usage has gone up,” Westcott said. “It is certainly one, if not the most popular site, in the forest. The maintenance, trash collection, and need for lifeguards have gone up, but the fees haven’t kept up with inflation. People expect a certain level of maintenance.

“This is our effort to keep pace with rising maintenance costs. We are committed to having quality recreation areas.”

For more information on the national forests in North Carolina, call the Asheville headquarters at 828-257-4200.